Glass
Coloured and clear glass packages, i.e. bottles and jars, belong in the glass packaging collection.
What is allowed in the glass collection?
- ​coloured and clear glass bottles and jars
What to do:
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1
Rinse dirty glass packages with a splash of cold water.
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2
Remove caps and lids. Labels, bottle collars or other fixed parts do not need to be removed.
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3
Sort clear and coloured glass into the same container.
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4
Return deposit bottles to the store or Alko.
What is not allowed in the glass collection?
- drinking glasses > mixed waste
- heat-resistant glass (oven pans, coffee pots) > mixed waste
- crystal > mixed waste
- porcelain and ceramics > mixed waste
- window glass > mixed waste
- mirror glass > mixed waste
- opal glass (e.g. in some cosmetics packages) > mixed waste
- light bulbs > halogen and incandescent bulbs into mixed waste, LEDs, energy-saving bulbs and fluorescent tubes to the collection of electric and electronic equipment or hazardous waste
The types of glass listed above should be sorted into mixed waste, as they are not suitable for the same recycling process as bottles and jars.
For safety reasons, pack broken window or mirror glass into a cardboard package, for example, and into a separate plastic bag before putting it into the mixed waste container.
Where to take glass packages?
- the glass collection container of the property
- Sortti Stations
- Rinki eco take-back points
- Return deposit bottles to the store or Alko.
What is the collected glass used for?
Glass packaging waste is used to make new glass packages, i.e. glass bottles and jars. Glass can be recycled indefinitely for the manufacture of new packages without compromising its quality or purity.
The glass travels from the collection container to interim storage, from where the correctly sorted and quality-compliant glass is transported to the port. From the port, the glass goes to England and the Netherlands for use in the manufacture of new glass packages. They are no longer manufactured in Finland.
In the glass recycling process, it is crushed and washed, and any other materials are removed from the glass. The crushed glass is sorted by colour and size. The processed raw material is delivered to glassworks for use in the manufacture of new glass packages.